Neck support



Dec. 25, 1962 A. N. TAYLOR 3,070,090

NECK SUPPORT Filed Jan. 27, 1961 INVENTOR.

M/MV M Hftorneys United States Patent Ofiice 3,070,090 Patented Dec. 25,1962 3,070,090 NECK SUPPORT Atrabion N. Taylor, 429 E. 9th St, Anniston,Ala. Filed Jan. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 85,349 Claims. (Cl. 12875) Thisinvention relates to a neck support and more particularly to aninflatable neck support which shall be adapted to limit extreme motionsof the neck of a patient, thereby protecting the ligamentous structures.

Another object of my invention is to provide a neck support of thecharacter designated which not only limits motion of the neck in variousdirections, but tends to return the neck to a neutral position and atthe same time permits sufficient motion in the joints to aid nutritionof the cartilagenous surface of the joints and permits sulficient use ofthe muscles surrounding the cervical spine to maintain proper muscletone.

Another object of my invention is to provide an inflatable support whichshall provide even pressure over the entire area of contact of thesupport with the jaw, occiput region of the head, chest and back of thepatient.

Another object of my invention is to provide a neck support which shallhave separate sections which surround the front and back of the neck,said sections being adjustable independently of each other while on thepatients neck.

A further object of my invention is to provide an inflatable necksupport of the character designated which shall include simple means foradjusting the amount of pressure exerted by the neck support, therebypermitting the patient to adjust the support to suit his own comfort.

A further object of my invention is to provide a neck support of thecharacter designated which continuously exerts an upward pressure on thehead of the patient, thereby accomplishing a result which is essentiallythe same as traction on the neck without the elaborate paraphernaliausually required for traction.

A further object of my invention is to provide a neck support of thecharacter designated in which a controlled amount of the load of thepatients head may be removed from the supporting structures therefor,such as the cervical vertebra, intervertebral disc and interveningligaments.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a neck support ofthe character designated which shall be simple of construction,economical of manufacture and one which is adjustable in size so thatthe proper fit can be obtained for every individual.

Heretofore in the art to which my invention relates, various forms ofneck supports have been devised. However, so far as I am aware, suchsupports hold the neck in a set position and exert substantially noupward pressure on the head of the patient. With some conventional typeneck supports, movement of the neck is permitted by providing separatesections for the front and back of the neck. However, with such devices,there is no effective means for limiting the amount of movement of theneck due to the fact that the sections are pivotally connected to eachother or connected to each other by relatively long flexible straps.

To overcome the above and other difliculties, I provide a neck supportwhich comprises a pair of pneumatically inflatable sections whichcompletely surround the neck of the patient and are connected to eachother over a relatively wide area whereby a substantially rigid unit isprovided at all sides of the neck. The front and rear sections of myimproved neck support are adjustable relative to each other whereby theymay be adjusted to selected angular positions for accommodating peoplehaving different neck shapes. To assure an even pressure at every pointof contact with the body of the patient, I provide concave upper edgesfor the sections and convex lower edges for the sections.

A neck support embodying features of my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing a pair of the inflatable necksupport sections removed from each other;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, showing the necksupport in use; and,

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken generally along the line 44-of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawing for a better understanding of my invention,my improved neck support comprises a front section 10 and a rear section11 which are substantially identical in construction. The sections 10and 11 are formed of a pair of relatively thin sheets of material 12 and13 joined to each other along the edges of the section as at 14. Thesheets 12 and 13 are preferably formed of inert plastic material whichis resistant to abrasions and punctures and possesses a limited amountof elasticity, such as polyvinyl chloride. By forming the sheets 12 and13 of an inert material, there is less danger of allergic reactions tothe skin of the patient.

Suitable valve members 16 are provided in the sections 10 and 11 forintroducing air or other suitable gas whereby the sections are inflated.To limit outward movement of the central portions of the sheets ofmaterial 12 and 13 as the sections are inflated, I connect adjacentportions of the sheets 12 and 13 to each other as at 17. This may beaccomplished by heat welding along the areas 17 which are spaced fromeach other, as shown in FIG. 1. Also, the ends of the connected areas 17are spaced from the edges of the sections 14) and 11, as shown. Toprovide ventilation for the neck of the patient, I provide a pluralityof vent openings 18 in the connected areas 17, as shown in FIGS. 1 and2.

The upper edge of the sections 10 and 11 are curved to form a generallyconcave edge 19 While the lower edges of the sections 10 and 11 arecurved to provide a generally convex lower edge 21, as clearly shown inFIG. 1. By providing the concave upper edge 19', the upper edge of thefront section 10 contacts the under surface of both sides of the lowerjaw of the patient while the upper concave edge 19 of the rear section11 contacts the occiput region of the head of the patient. By providingthe generally convex lower edge 21, the lower edge of the front section10 contacts the forward portion of the chest below the upper portionthereof and fits over the collar bones while the lower edge of the rearsection 11 extends below the base of the neck and contacts the upperportion of the back of the patient. That is to say, the concave edges 19and the convex edges 21 conform generally to the contour of the portionof the body being contacted whereby even pressure is exerted to allpoints of contact.

Projecting outwardly from opposite ends of each of the sections 10 and11 are gripping tabs or sections 22 and 23. With the sections 10 and 11surrounding the neck of the patient, as shown in FIG. 3, the grippingsection 22 of the rear section 11 is adapted to cooperate with thegripping section 23 of the front section While the gripping section 23of the rear section is adapted to cooperate with the gripping section 22of the front section. The gripping tabs or sections 22 and 2 3 arerelatively wide, as shown, and each gripping tab 22 is provided with agripping surface 24 which is in the form of a series of relatively smallhook-like members which are disposed to engage a felt-like surface 26carried by the gripping tabs 23. That is, the hook-like members formingthe surface 24 engage the felt-like surface 26 whereby the members arefirmly joined together upon pressing the cooperating tabs 22 and 23 intocontact with each other. By overcoming the gripping action between thehook-like surface 24 and the felt-like surface 26, the gripping tabs maybe adjusted to any angular relationship to each other whereby the necksupport may be adjusted to accommodate patients having different neckshapes. Also, the size of the neck support may be readily adjusted byjoining the gripping tabs 22 and 23 at selected positions relative toeach other. The use of the relatively small hook-like members to formthe gripping surface 24 which cooperates with the felt-like surface 26is a well known means for connecting garment sections to each other. Byproviding the relatively large contact area between the gripping tabs 22and 23 and causing the neck support to surround the entire neck of thepatient, a semi-rigid unit is provided which takes the load of the headoff the supporting structures, such as the neck, cervical vertebra,intervertebral disc and intervening ligaments. Also, by providing thesemi-rigid neck support which surrounds the neck of the patient, alimited amount of motion of the neck is permitted while extreme motionsof the neck are restrained in order to protect the ligamentousstructures.

From the foregoing description, the operation of my improved necksupport will be readily understood. The front section and the rearsection 11 of the neck support are positioned around the neck of thepatient, as shown in FIG. 3, whereby the sections are in properrelationship to each other to accommodate the particular shape and sizeof the neck of the patient. The gripping tabs 22 and 23 are then pressedinto firm engagement with each other whereby the hook-like surface 24 ofthe gripping tab 22 firmly engages the felt-like surface 26 of thegripping tab 23. With the sections 10 and 11 thus firmly connected toeach other, there is no pivotal or hinge action between the front andrear sections after the neck support is assembled. As shown in FIG. 3,the concave edge 19 of the front section 10 contacts the under surfaceof both sides of the lower jaw while the concave edge 19 of the rearsection 11 contacts the occiput region of the head of the patient. Also,as shown in FIG. 3, the lower concave edge 21 of the front section 10contacts the forward portion of the chest below the upper portionthereof and fits over the collar bones While the lower convex edge 21 ofthe rear section 11 extends below the base of the neck and contacts theupper portion of the back of the patient. The ends of the sections 10and 11 extend alongside the neck of the patient, as shown, wherebylateral movement of the head is limited.

After the neck support is mounted around the neck of the patient, air isintroduced into the valve 16 whereby the front and rear sections areinflated separately to exert the required pressure on the areascontacted by the neck support. By providing separate means forintroducing air into the front and rear sections of the neck support,the patient may readily adjust the pressure applied to his own comfort.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have devised an improved necksupport which is very simple of construction and may be readily mountedon the neck of the patient in a minimum of time and without complicatedadjustments. By providing a relatively wide contact area at the pointthe front and rear sections are connected to each other, a firm,semi-rigid connection is provided which prevents pivotal movementbetween the front and rear sections, thereby providing the requiredrigidity for the neck support. Also, by providing the concave and convexedges along the front and rear sections of the neck support, the supportreadily accommodates itself to the contour of the body of the patientwhereby an even pressure is exerted to all contact areas.

Furthermore, by connecting the sheets of material 12 and 13 to eachother at spaced intervals, the overall thickness of the sections isreduced to a minimum and at the same time the required rigidity isprovided to exert the desired pressure at the contact areas.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious tothose skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible ofVarious changes and modifications Without departing from the spiritthereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall beplaced thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A neck support comprising a first pneumatically inflatable memberadapted to surround and contact the forward and side portions of theneck of a patient with the upper edge of said first member being concaveand contacting the under surface of both sides of the lower jaw and thelower edge of said first member being convex and contacting the forwardportion of the chest and fitting over the collar bones, a secondpneumatically inflatable member adapted to surround and contact the rearand side portions of the neck of the patient with the upper edge of saidsecond member being concave and contacting the occiput region of thehead and the lower edge of said second member being convex and extendingbelow the base of the neck and contacting the upper portion of the back,and means connecting said first member to said second member inoverlapping relationship over a wide area to provide a relatively rigidcomposite unit which surrounds the neck of the patient.

2. A neck support as defined in claim 1 in which means are provided forinflating said first and second members separately.

3. A neck support as defined in claim 1 in which one of said inflatablemembers is provided with a felt-like surface and the other inflatablemember is provided with a plurality of small hook-like members disposedto engage said felt-like surface.

4. A neck support comprising a first relatively flat inflatable memberadapted to surround and contact the forward and side portions of theneck of a patient with the upper edge of said first member being concaveand contacting the under surface of. both sides of the lower jaw and thelower edge of said first member being conveX and contacting the forwardportion of the chest and fitting over the collar bones, a secondrelatively flat inflatable member adapted to surround and contact therear and side portions of the neck of the patient with the upper edge ofsaid second member being convex and contacting the occiput region of thehead and the lower edge of said second member being concave andextending below the base of the neck and contacting the upper portion ofthe back, means securing adjacent surfaces of the inflatable members toeach other at spaced intervals to divide said first and secondinflatable members into a plurality of separate compartments whereby thethickness of the first and second members after inflation is limited,and means connecting said first member to said second member at oppositesides of the neck of the patient in overlapping relationship over a widearea to provide a relatively rigid composite unit which surrounds theneck of the patient.

5. A neck support as defined in claim 4 in which vent openings areprovided in the surfaces of the inflatable members which are secured toeach other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,389,690 Schreiber Nov. 27, 1945 2,717,437 De Mestral Sept. 13, 19552,806,471 Breese Sept. 17, 1957 2,911,970 Bartel Nov. 10, 1959

